


you and i (and the stars in your eyes)

by fthh



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23039818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fthh/pseuds/fthh
Summary: The next day The Enbarr Daily is awash with gossip. There is a picture of the four of them walking out of the restaurant, their children trailing after them towards their car. There’s a close-up of Dorothea’s left hand, a ring visible on her finger. The caption readsMittelfrank Opera Company Songstress Dorothea Arnault Finally Off the Market?or, Petra has a realisation. She's determined to make it right.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	you and i (and the stars in your eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> they're in their late forties in this.
> 
> absolutely unedited - if you find any typos you can keep them! i'm that nice

Sophia and Alexis are hanging out in their mother’s office after school today. She lets them do their work on the coffee table while Petra peruses documents on her desk. She’s signing off on an e-mail when she notices Sophia pouting at her worksheet.

Petra chuckles and moves to sit on the couch next to her daughter. “What bothers you so, dearest?”

The thirteen-year-old sighs dramatically and leans her head on Petra’s knee. Then she says in fluent Brigidian:  _ “Maths is hard! Why do I have to learn it anyway?” _

Sophia adds a sniff for further effect. Alexis scoffs, but says nothing as she continues with her own worksheet.  _ “Do you want to fight me, Alexis? I’d be glad to!” _

_ “Sophia,”  _ Petra chides.  _ “All you need is a little help. That’s all. Come, let me take a look at it.” _

(She’s not a fan of the subject, herself, but at this age it  _ can’t _ be that hard, right?)

“Ma,” Alexis says, “can we go get fro-yo after this, pretty please?”

At the very mention of ice cream, Sophia hops towards her twin and they both look at Petra with pleading eyes. “Oh can we, please, Ma? I promise we’ll behave.”

Alexis turns towards Sophia. “What do you  _ mean  _ ‘we’? Speak for yourself.”

Petra sighs and looks at her daughters, raising an eyebrow, reprimanding. The two are prone to bickering, and at thirteen, it’s getting worse.  _ “Lights of my life, if you finish your homework by five, I’ll take you to that frozen yoghurt place you like. But only if you behave.” _

“Yes, Ma,” they say in unison.

Sophia puts her arms around Alexis, her thick brown hair tickling Alexis’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Donut, I was frustrated because I couldn’t answer question five.”

Alexis hugs her sister back, and Petra chuckles to herself. “It’s okay, Jelly. I’ll help you.”

They’d inherited their dramatic tendencies from Dorothea, and also from having spent time with their Aunt Hilda. They’d taken to her very well — they were fascinated with making crafts for their mothers, and now some weekends they would sleep over at Aunt Hilda and Aunt Marianne’s and come home with new accessories.

(Dorothea and Petra would take full advantage of those nights and have their alone time.)

Petra looks on as her daughters work on their assignments in peace. She smiles, silently thanks the spirits for giving her a perfect life.

Well, almost perfect. A certain someone isn’t here yet…

As if on cue, Petra’s door opens to reveal a bouquet of flowers, covering the person bringing it. “Apologies for the interruption Miss Macneary, but Miss Arnault has sent you a flower arrangement, and—” He sets it down on the couch next to Petra, “— she says she’ll be late tonight, and that she’ll meet you home later.”

Petra thanks her assistant and he bows out of her office. She looks at her daughters, lost in thought for a moment. Her work is mostly done; there’s nothing urgent. Tomorrow is Saturday, so the twins  _ can  _ afford to not finish their work. Petra looks outside the window — there’s something breathtakingly beautiful about the Adrestian autumn. Leaves are just about to turn red and orange and brown, and right now the sun is shining down on them, but the air is cool enough to keep anyone from sweating.

“Girls,” Petra starts. “Let us go for frozen yoghurt at this moment.” With the sun as bright as it is today, it would be a waste  _ not _ to bask in its glory. Petra  _ was _ raised on an island with plenty of sunlight, after all.

The twins look up and grin at each other when they’ve processed what their mother has said. They squeal in delight and tuck away their stationery into their backpacks.  _ “Come, Ma!”  _ Sophia is already at the door while Alexis tugs on Petra’s hand.

_ “I have to get my things first, heart of hearts,”  _ Petra says, laughing.

.

  
  


They take a seat near the window, to get a good outside view. Like Petra, the twins also have an appreciation for nature. During the Adrestian winterbreak they go back to Brigid, and the twins like to spend their days under the sun, running around the fields at the palace grounds or sandy Brigidian beaches or camp out in the national parks.

(They would get looks, of course — it’s always a sight to see, members of the Brigid royal family being in public without any security in sight.  _ They are discreet, of course _ .)

Alexis and Sophia seem to be having a wordless conversation, then, one wearing a more exaggerated expression after the other. Sophia sighs, then, and leans forward and rests her chin on her hand. “Ma,” she starts. “Can  _ we _ ask you a question?”

“Yes, of course, dearest,” Petra says.

“Why did Mr. Thomas call you Miss Macneary? Are you and Mom not married?”

Petra taps a finger to her chin, her mocha-flavoured frozen yoghurt now all but forgotten. She and Dorothea have been together for over twenty years now, and she recalls at the five-year mark  _ thinking _ about proposing, but…

She doesn’t remember actually doing it.

“Huh,” she says, dumbly. “No, we are not married. Why?”

“Oh. I thought you were. Most of my friends’ parents are married,” Alexis says.

“And  _ I  _ thought you were married because we live together and you have children together… unless? Is that why Donut and I are just Macnearys and not Arnaults? Are we not your children, Ma?” Sophia sounds a bit distressed now, so Petra reaches for her hand and takes it, hoping to soothe her daughter. Always the hastier one between the two, coming up to conclusions all on her own.

_ “No, no, my babies, your Mom and I are legally and biologically your parents,” _ Petra blushes, then, remembering the whole process that had brought these two into the world,  _ “with how famous your Mom is in Adrestia, we didn’t want the paparazzi to follow you around and, well, the Macneary name brings certain legal protections to it.” _

_ “Because of great-grandpa?” _ Alexis asks.

“Yes, that is true.”

The three fall silent now, Petra letting her daughters process everything.

Alexis lets out a small “hmph,” still not satisfied. “Why  _ aren’t _ you married, though?”

“Well,” Petra starts, thinking over her whole relationship with Dorothea, “we have been together for so long and we know we love each other; we don’t need a wedding to prove that.”

“Okay,” Alexis says, and the three of them continue to eat.

Petra watches the leaves outside, falling and being blown by a small gust of wind. There is a couple walking by, and one of them has their arm around their partner to keep them warm. There is another, holding hands and laughing as they’re being led into the frozen yoghurt place.

“It would be nice, I think, to show the world how much we love each other…”

Alexis and Sophia visibly perk up at that, and they look at Petra with their signature puppy-dog eyes. Petra looks at them. Sophia, with her brown hair and brown eyes. Alexis, hair fuschia and eyes green. A perfect mix of both Petra and Dorothea. The twins both have dark skin, unlike most people in this country, much like Petra’s. She doesn’t know how the magic works, but she thanks the spirits every day for her blessings.

_ “How about,”  _ Petra leans forward to say in a conspiratorial tone,  _ “since your Mom’s going to be late tonight, why don’t you and I hatch a plan to propose to her?” _

.

It’s almost nine when Dorothea enters their apartment. “I’m home!” She says, sing-song. She’d received a text from Petra earlier.  _ I love you. Thank you for the flowers. _ She’d been having a bit of a stressful day, but seeing Petra’s face gracing her screen had lifted her spirits.

“Hi Mom!”

Sophia sounds more chipper than usual from her spot at the dinner table. She’s doing her homework while snacking, it seems. Alexis, beside her helping her sister, smiles at Dorothea.  _ “Hi, Mom,”  _ she echoes, in Brigidian.

“Hello, my love,” Petra greets from her seat at the couch, watching the news.

Dorothea rounds the dining table to press kisses onto her daughters’ heads before sitting next to Petra, who lifts an arm to give Dorothea a sideways hug. Dorothea immediately snuggles into the embrace, kisses Petra’s cheek, and rests her head on Petra’s shoulder.

Dorothea closes her eyes, relaxing, but she can’t focus on her thoughts. Petra is absolutely  _ vibrating _ , and as much as she loves it when her girlfriend is happy, she  _ is _ curious. The twins also seem to be suspiciously energetic tonight.

The three have regularly surprised her over the years when she’s had late days, absolutely swamped with work. It never fails to bring a smile to her face.

(One time she walks into their home, absolutely exhausted, and collapses onto their couch. When she wakes up Sophia is massaging her temple, Alexis is tucking her in with the throw blanket they’d gotten from a stall at a Brigid street market, and Petra is cooking, humming her favourite song. The twins couldn’t have been older than eight, then. Her heart swells with so much love.

Who would’ve thought that — someone like her, who was once a street urchin — she could be so happy? Some nights, more sombre than others, she sits out at the balcony pondering her luck. It can’t last forever— but before she goes there, Petra is behind her, draping their blanket on her, kisses her gently as if to say  _ I am here to accompany you through everything. _ )

“You know,” Dorothea starts, eyes still closed, “I can tell if you’re hiding something.”

Sophia and Alexis are positively  _ giggling _ in the background. They are  _ definitely _ up to something. Dorothea looks up at Petra, and smiles in a way that spells trouble. “Do  _ you  _ have anything to tell me, sweetheart?”

Petra laughs, and with her arm around her girlfriend, she pulls her closer. “Not tonight, I am afraid.”

“Well,” Dorothea resumes her position, resting against Petra’s shoulder, “I have my own ways of making you talk.” (Petra can hear the smirk in Dorothea’s tone. She shudders at the implications of her words.)

The dining chairs make noise from friction against the floor when the twins hastily stand up. “Good night Mom, Ma, I finished my homework! Donut and I are having a sleepover in my room! No need to check up on us!”

There’s a whisper of, “Way to go on not being obvious, Jelly,” from Alexis before the two of them disappear into Sophia’s room. Dorothea looks to the dining table; at least they’ve put all their things away before doing whatever they were doing.

Later that night, when Dorothea exhausts Petra thoroughly, she asks again what the three of them are hiding. All Petra says is, “We have a surprise for you,” before pulling her girlfriend up and kissing her soundly.

Dorothea goes to lie next to her girlfriend, not keeping her eyes off of Petra’s. Petra sighs.

“We will be having dinner at your favourite restaurant Sunday evening,” she relents, finally.

Dorothea smiles. She can work with that.

.

The twins insist their parents spend their day outside, with Sophia all but pushing them towards the door.

“Sweetheart, I had an exhausting day yesterday, I want to just relax at home today,” Dorothea makes her way to the couch.

“Alright, but you can’t enter my room today, we’re doing a top-sec—” Alexis puts a hand on her sister’s mouth before she can reveal too much, and both of them scurry along to Sophia’s room.

“I’m getting too old for this, you know,” Dorothea says when Petra joins her in the living room, a book in her hand.

Petra laughs at that. “My darling, you are only three years older than me.”

Dorothea makes a noncommittal sound, exhausting her thoughts on the topic. “What are you reading?”

A blush forms on Petra’s cheek, and Dorothea’s interest is immediately piqued. “It is a book on Adrestian customs. Specifically regarding courtship.”

“Oh, Petra, you  _ know  _ you already have my whole heart,” Dorothea presses a kiss onto the mark under Petra’s eye. “We have children together, after all, even though they  _ are _ trouble sometimes.” There are affection and mirth in her tone.

Petra makes a sound of satisfaction, much like a cat, and with her free hand she intertwines their fingers together. “I know, I just— I did not want to miss anything, I guess.”

Dorothea raises an eyebrow, wanting to ask more (wanting to ask  _ why _ ), but she drops the topic. The three of them have been weird since last night, but. She sighs; they’ll tell her when she’s ready.

.

The waiter has just walked away with their orders when Sophia elbows Petra gently, and Alexis hands her a small velvet box. Petra reaches across the table to hold both of Dorothea’s hands in hers.

“My love, recently our children asked me if we were married, and I realised we have never gotten married. And I asked myself, why not? We love each other, we live together, we have children together, we are growing old together,” she pauses to wipe a tear away from Dorothea’s cheek, “I would like the world to know how much I love you. I would like to love you until the moment I let go of my last breath. I love you so very much, my heart swells so much with it, even after so long, I…” Petra trails off.

She opens the box: it’s a simple ring in traditional Brigidian colours of browns and purples. It’s rough, but Dorothea can tell it’s made from a place of love. Petra is on both her knees, now, looking at Dorothea. “Dearest heart, my Dorothea, will you marry me?”

Dorothea smiles, and the crow’s feet on her eyes are more obvious now. There’s a stray hair coloured grey among Dorothea’s brown locks, and Petra watches as Dorothea pushes them back away from her face. “Yes, yes, of course I will.”

Petra slides the ring onto Dorothea’s finger before being pulled into a kiss. Sophia lets out an excited “whoop!” while Alexis watches her parents. Dorothea and Petra break apart, and Dorothea reaches for her daughters’ hands.

“So this was what you were up to?” She asks with a wet laugh. “It’s beautiful. I love you, both of you.”

Alexis only smiles, while Sophia nods enthusiastically.

“This has been a  _ very  _ nice surprise,” Dorothea says, turning to Petra, hands still holding onto her daughters’, “but I’m going to recruit these two troublemakers for the next one.” Dorothea winks playfully at her fiancée (it’s still quite a foreign word to her, but she likes saying it! Petra is her fiancée!).

.

The next day The Enbarr Daily is awash with gossip. There is a picture of the four of them walking out of the restaurant, their children trailing after them towards their car. There’s a close-up of Dorothea’s left hand, a ring visible on her finger. The caption reads  _ Mittelfrank Opera Company Songstress Dorothea Arnault Finally Off the Market? _

_ Congratulations, Petra, Dorothea, _ Edelgard texts the Black Eagles chat group. There is a string of congratulations messages all day.

_ Does this mean Ferdinand wins the bet? _ Caspar texts.  _ He got almost fifty! _

_ Shut up, Caspar!  _ Come the replies from everyone. Well. Some things never change.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. im love them  
> 2\. their nicknames are jelly and donut bc dorothea had a constant craving of jelly donuts when she was pregnant with the twins  
> 3\. who else is excited for doropetra week? i know i am!
> 
> i'm [@clonebutt](https://twitter.com/clonebutt) on twitter if anyone wants to talk to me about doropetra :)


End file.
